No.  405 


o,3o  4 


FROM  HEAD -AXE 
TO  SCALPEL 

By  the  Reverend  Walter  C.  Clapp 


I 'HIS  is  (Ke  true  story  of  a little  Igorot 
^ boy,  dirty,  ignorant,  unclothed,  knowing 
nothing  of  God  or  Christ,  who  vJas  taught  by 
one  of  our  missionaries  and  is  now  preparing 
to  go  as  a doctor  to  his  own  people  in  the 
Philippine  Islands.  The  story  is  told  by  his 
godfather. 

DEPARTMENT  OF  MISSIONS 

281  FOURTH  AVENUE  ::  NEW  YORK 


A Young  Bontoc  Boy 


FROM  H E A D - A X E 
TO  SCALPEL 

By  the  Reverend  Walter  C.  Clapp 


Hilary  and  His  Godfather 


I AM  asked  to  tell  the  story  of  Hi- 
lary Pit-a-pit,  who  now.  accord- 
ing to  the  Spanish  custom,  adds 
to  his  baptismal  name — which  includes 
his  native  name — the  name  of  his  god- 
father, Clapp. 

My  first  remembrance  of  Hilary  is 
that  of  a singularly  attractive  and 
sprightly  little  fellow,  quite  innocent 
of  clothing  except  a loin-cloth  (Amer- 


Kan  "(.j-slriiig” j and  a little  soklotty, 
or  cap,  woven  of  fine  rattan  fibers, 
ornamented  with  dog-teeth  and  horse- 
hair plumes,  on  the  back  of  his  long, 
fiowing  black  hair.  He  was  one  of 
])erhaps  forty  boys  sitting  at  rudel\ 
fashioned  desks  in  the  old  dilapidated 
Augustinian  church,  which  was  used 
in  the  early  days  in  Bontoc  to  serve 
as  a schoolhouse.  The  bishop  and  1 
were  up  there  on  a trip  of  explora- 
tion in  January,  1903,  and  were  visit- 
ing the  school.  Hilary  was  one  of 
the  bright  stars  of  the  school  and  we 
became  acquainted  with  him.  I re- 
member that  he  w'alked,  or  rather 
danced,  down  the  road  with  me  after 
our  visit  that  day,  and  I could  not 
help  thinking  a prayer  that  God  might 
have  him  for  His  child  and  servant. 

When  our  mission  was  actually 
started  in  Bontoc,  .some  months  later. 
Hilary  was  very  close  to  us.  Many 
other  boys  were  too.  but  our  initial 
interest,  and  the  reasons  for  it,  per- 
sisted. We  soon  learned  that  it  was 
not  so  much  that  Hilary  was  brilliant 
in  his  abilities,  as  that  he  had  a native 
faculty  of  perseverance,  and  a fund  of 
elastic  vitality  which  enabled  him  to 
confront  problems  and  stick  at  the 
task  of  solving  them  when  others 
would  get  discouraged,  and  to  re- 
cover from  falls  and  shocks  which 
would  have  disabled  most  boys  per- 
manentlv.  All  of  our  first  .group  of 


buys  were  a capable  sort,  full  of  native 
curiosity,  anxious  to  learn.  Only, 
when  it  came  to  asking  questions,  1 
think  Hilary  could  ask  more  in  a given 


time  than  any  other  boy.  Have  1 
sufficiently  indicated  what  sort  of 
brown-skinned,  long-haired,  smiling, 
bubbling,  interrogating,  primitive  hu- 
man material  had  come  to  us  in 
Hilary?  Perhaps  so. 

It  was  heathen  human  material,  and 
remained  so  for  fully  a year  after  the 
mission  o])cned ; be- 
lieved in  Luma-wig,  in 
the  Anito ; took  part  in 
the  M a n g - m a n g ; 
thought  it  prai.seworthy 
to  take  a head  ; had  the 
same  standards  of 
morality  that  prevailed 
“up  in  town” — promi..- 
cuity  among  the  young 
people  and  a system  of 
trial  marriage  were  tra- 
ditions of  the  race.  1 
hope  that  some  day 
Hilary  may  be  fitted, 
and  may  see  fit,  to  put 
down  on  paper  for  our 
benefit  something  — as 
much  as  he  can  recall 
and  formulate  — of 
what  went  on  in  his 
mind  during  that  year, 
each  day  of  which  found  him  squatt- 
ting  in  the  wide-open  doorway  of 


the  room  in  which  we  improvised  a 
chapel,  where  from  the  first  we 
celebrated  the  Holy  Mysteries  and 
sang  our  Evensong.  The  children 
used  to  fill  both  that  and  the  broad 
open  windows  two  or  three  deep  at 
every  service ; but  none  of  them  came 
within  the  room.  In  the  absence 
of  any  such  direct  testimony,  we  can 
only  believe  that  at  those  times,  and 
in  the  daily  intercourse  with  the  mis- 
sion family  in  and  out  of  doors,  he 
gradually  absorbed  something  of  our 
thought  and  intent.  There  were  in- 
structions, too,  of  the  simplest  sort 
in  the  basic  truths  of  Christian  Faith, 
and  the  gradual  learning  of  the  Chief 
Things  in  such  translations  as,  with 
their  help,  we  were  able  to  make  for 
the  boys. 

But  finally  a long-remembered  day 
came  when  Hilary  was  observed  to 
squat  just  within,  instead  of  just 
without,  the  doorway.  Then  came 
some  earnest  talks  with  Hilary — of 
his  own  seeking.  Showing  a full 
grasp  of  the  spiritual  import  of  the 
things  which  he  had  been  seeing  all 
those  months?  By  no  means.  Rather, 
showing  a confused  notion  of  re- 
ligion and  civilization,  and  full  of 
solicitude  regarding  the  outcome  of 
an  acceptance  of  the  new  religion. 
Would  it  debar  him  from  marrying 
some  day  a girl  whose  inheritance  of 
rice  fields  would  mean  that  she  was 


rich?  All  such  girls  were  now 
heathen,  and  would  there  ever  be  any 
Christian  ones?  Many  such  questions 
were  propounded  and  our  answer  was 
that  if  he  were  to  enter  the  Christian 
W'ay  all  such  things  must  be  left  to 
the  good  God  who  loved  him  and 
would  take  care  of  him  if  he  gave 
himself  without  condition.  Then  a 
period  of  hesitation ; then  his  assent ; 
more  instruction ; and  then  the  Laver 
of  Regeneration. 

With  all  his  admirable  and  attractive 
qualities,  Hilary  was  not  immediately 
a perfect  Christian. 

Anybody  could  see 
that  he  was  vain  and 
proud.  The  only 
wonder  is  that  he 

was  not  more  so. 

American  visitors  to 
Bontoc  would  quickly 
single  him  out  from 
the  throng  of  urchins 
and  exclaim  aloud  at 
his  physical  grace.  In 
the  mission  we  never 
did  that,  of  course. 

He  was  accused  of 
dishonesty.  It  was 

evident  that  he  was  selfish,  and  that 

he  wanted  not  only  to  know  about 
things,  but  to  have  the  things  them- 
selves. I must  be  excused  from 

speaking  more  particularly  on  this 
head.  I was  not  only  his  godfather. 


Hilary  at  School 


but  his  priest  and  father-in-God. 
Suffice  it  to  say  that  whatever  his 
actual  faults  were,  he  tried  with  all 
his  innate  manliness  to  overcome 
them,  and  with  the  aid  of  sacramental 
^race;  for  in  due  time  he  and  a dozen 
others  came  to  confirmation — the  first 
fruits  of  our  systematic  endeavor  to 
])lant  the  Seed  among  the  Igorots. 

It  was  a great  thing  for  Hilary  and 
the  greater  number  of  this  first  group 
when  they  went  from  Bontoc  to 
Baguio,  where  under  Dr.  Drury  (now 
head-master  of  St.  Paul’s  School, 
Concord)  they  enjoyed  wise  teaching 
and  good  discipline  for  about  two 
years.  Then  the  way  was  opened  for 
I lilary  to  go  to  America  and  for  about 
three  years  he  was  in  Trinity  College 
School  at  Port  Hope,  Ontario.  There 
he  developed  wonderfully ; studied 
hard ; took  prizes  in  Greek,  French 
and  Sacred  Studies ; attained  some 
l^rowess  as  an  athlete  and  football 
player.  Had  his  troubles,  too ; faults 
cropping  out  in  himself  ; and  the  pen- 
alty natural  among  boys  for  a too  un- 
cautious  revelation  of  his  antecedents. 
But  all  the  time,  I believe,  progress  in 
the  solid  virtues  which  make  Christian 
manhood. 

The  question  of  vocation  naturally 
came  up.  We  never  unduly  urged 
upon  him  the  Christian  ^Ministry,  and 
he  never  quite  aspired  to  it.  Medicine 
rather  attracted  him,  and  he  has  gone 


forward  ua  lhat  line.  The  time  came 
when  the  Bishop  thought  it  would  be 
unwise  for  him  to  stay  longer  in 
America.  If  he  were  to  be  of  use  in 
the  Philippines,  it  was  important  that 
he  keep  in  touch  with  them.  Accord- 
ingly, he  spent  four — possibly  more — 
years  in  Manila,  at  the  Manila  High 
.School  and  in  the  Junior  University, 
in  courses  preparatory  to  a full  ad- 
vanced medical  course.  In  these 
studies  I gathered  from  his  letters  that 
he  was  as  of  old,  not  the  brilliant 
student,  but  the  presistent  one,  who 
sometimes  fails  and  then  buoyantly 
gets  up  and  tries  again.  He  sometimes 
got  “out”  with  his  directing  authori- 
ties, but  always  saw  things  rightly 
after  a time,  and  was  not  afraid  to 
apologize. 

In  physical  characteristics  he 
changed  greatly  from  the  early  days. 
His  grace  of  form  departed,  and  now 
he  is  a .short,  thick-set  man.  passing 
well  as  a Filipino  among  Filipinos, 
his  eyes  rather  more  Mongolian  than 
the  average.  He  would  also  pass 
muster  as  a Japanese.  He  has  the 
student  look,  from  which,  of  course, 
his  spectacles  do  not  detract.  His 
manner  is  frank  and  cordial,  and  his 
manners  those  of  a polished  gentle- 
man (T  may  mention  that  while  travel- 
ing in  the  Bishop's  company  and  at 
other  times  he  has  seen  the  inside  of 


Bontoc  Boys  at  Play 


some  of  the  best  houses,  staying  twice 
at  Dorchester  House  in  London). 

To  one  like  myself,  who  has  known 
him  from  childhood,  the  transforma- 
tion seems  very  wonderful.  Words 
are  hardly  adequate  to  describe  the 
primitiveness  and  dirt  of  the  sur- 
roundings from  which  he  sprang.  A 
native  hut  among  his  people  has  no 
flooring,  no  pretense  of  a chimney. 
Everything  of  its  barbaric  fittings  is 
■coated  thick  with  soot  from  the  pitch- 
pine  fuel  burned  under  the  rice-pot. 
The  only  sleeping  apartment  is  a 
nearly  air-tight  and  quite  pitch-dark 
hole  where  the  sleeper  reclines  on  a 
single  rough-hewn  plank.  The  pig  is 
just  outside,  and  the  chickens  roam 
and  roost  all  over  the  place.  His 
father  was  an  old,  ignorant,  stupid, 
dirty,  naked  Igorot,  whose  dominant 
thought  about  Hilary  was  that  his  ab- 
sence from  Bontoc  deprived  him  of 
help  in  caring  for  the  pig  and  guard- 
ing the  chickens.  Hilary  could  hardly 
have  looked  for  a maturity  of  a dif- 
ferent sort  if  he  had  not  come  under 
the  Christian  influences. 

The  last  and  best  thing  I can  say 
about  Hilary  is  that  with  all  the  ad- 
vantages he  has  enjoyed,  he  does  not 
despise  his  own  people.  Twice  he  has 
spent  his  Manila  vacations  at  Bontoc, 
and  on  both  occasions  he  has  shown 
a wonderful  ability  to  fraternize  with 
the  Igorots,  mingling  in  their  talk  and 


games,  helping  them  in  their  harvest- 
ing, yet  at  the  same  time  maintaining 
his  status  as  a 
Christian  and  gen- 
tleman. The  high 
desires  for  Hilary 
have  now  been  jus- 
t i fi  e d,  and  he 
is  prepared  to 
return  to  work,  as 
a skilled  Christian 
physician,  among 
his  own  people. 

We  may  be  sure 
that  he  will  prove 
a healer  of  souls  as 
well  as  of  bodies, 
and  a striking  ex- 
ample of  what  God 
can  make  of  even 
so  primitive  a peo- 
ple as  the  Igorots. 


The  Hilary  of 
To-da\ 


Copies  of  this  leaflet  may  be  obtained 
from  the  Educational  Division,  Church 
Missions  House,  281  Fourth  Avenue,  Xew 
York,  by  asking  for  So.  405. 


) Ed.  12-21.  lOM.  D. 


